


A Time To Forget

by sweetcarolanne



Category: Vampire Chronicles - Anne Rice
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Blood Drinking, Canon-Typical Violence, Hopeful Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Character Death, Vampires
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-03-13
Packaged: 2018-05-26 10:28:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6235042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetcarolanne/pseuds/sweetcarolanne
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not only the loss of Claudia, but the shadow of Lestat, hangs over Louis and Armand's burgeoning love...</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Time To Forget

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Trismegistus (Lebateleur)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lebateleur/gifts).



> Dear recipient, I had fun writing this story and I hope it meets with your approval! Many thanks also to my beta, who wishes to remain anonymous.

Armand’s voice was calm and his facial expression tranquil as he softly intoned, “Louis, you have not yet fed tonight. Come with me.”

Louis seemed to be lost in a deep reverie for more than a few moments before he mutely nodded in assent. He stood up, relinquishing the comfort of the plush velvet armchair and moving with a slowness unusual for a vampire in the direction indicated by Armand’s graceful hand.

The moon was full and beginning to rise in the darkened sky as Louis followed Armand’s lead through the shadowy streets. Neither vampire spoke, yet the emotion that radiated between the pair was more intense than anything that could ever be uttered out loud. Grief for the past and for those that had gone, uncertainty about the future and a burgeoning love that had begun tentatively but was gaining in strength as each night in one another’s company went by. 

As they walked, Louis wondered briefly what it was that Armand had in mind, but as they neared a shabby row of houses in a run-down part of town, Armand’s intent became obvious as he stood before the first dwelling, gazing at the doorway with a look of patient concentration upon his face.

It took only a few minutes for the intended victim to emerge from the already open doorway and begin walking towards them. Louis could not help but utter a barely audible gasp, for each time he witnessed this ability of Armand’s in action, it was wondrous. For the ancient vampire had the gift of finding and calling to those mortals who truly wished to die. Not even Lestat had been capable of such a powerful act, and even if he had been, Louis knew that Lestat, with his reckless lack of conscience and unbridled hedonism, would never have performed such a gesture for the benefit of another. That Armand would so openly and generously do this made Louis’s affection for the other vampire increase and deepen more than mere words could ever express.

The young man was painfully thin, but eerily beautiful. His skin was almost as pale as that of Louis and Armand, and dark circles underneath the deeper darkness of his eyes only served to enhance his strange desirability. Much sorrow, and perhaps a touch of weariness with the world, radiated from his slight, stoop-shouldered form. With a gesture that was almost one of compassion, Louis gently took the boy’s hand and led him back into the house.

Louis laid the young man down upon his narrow, unmade bed to take him. His blood was the most satisfying that Louis had tasted in a very long time, made even more exquisite by being so lovingly offered, so willingly given. The boy moaned softly in pain and pleasure as Louis drank, his body displaying an undeniable arousal as he pressed close against Louis, allowing himself to relax in the strength and tenderness of the vampire’s arms. He seemed not to notice or acknowledge the presence of Armand, but Louis was acutely aware of his companion’s eyes upon him, and it enhanced the moment of the boy’s ecstatic death. Never before had a kill seemed so erotic to Louis; under the rapt gaze of Armand, the act of feeding was almost holy, a sacrament of love.

As Louis and Armand walked back to their luxurious accommodations, their steps were steady and harmonious, and the thoughts in Louis’s head were calmer. He felt almost as blissfully composed as Armand had appeared to be all evening. The affection between them seemed magnified by the experience they had just shared, and when they arrived home no words were needed to convey the passion that was gradually rising in them both. 

Melting into each other’s arms, their lips met, slow and searching, as if they had been new lovers instead of vampire companions for years. The blood that had recently nourished Louis made his skin almost as warm and inviting as a mortal’s, so that Armand could not resist a seductive smile and a tender nip at Louis’s throat, for a taste of that mortal-drawn sustenance merged with the vampire essence of Louis that Armand so adored.

It was an action so reminiscent of what Lestat may once have done that it made Louis tremble, and Armand, his eyes filled with surprise and hurt, recoiled and stepped back, abruptly releasing his beloved.

“Louis. My love. You are thinking of him again, I know it,” Armand said quietly, no accusation in his voice, only a bald statement of fact combined with the pain that was evident in every feature of his normally serene face. Louis could only dumbly nod, unable to deny the truth that lay bare before them now.

“He was my maker – I cannot forget what he meant to me, and all that we experienced together,” Louis replied, his hands twisting grotesquely as if in agony. “He and Claudia and I - we were a family, a happy family, for so many decades before the troubled times. That does not mean that I wish to return to him, nor does it mean that I love you any less.”

Armand could only shake his head in disbelief. “I can understand your mourning for the loss of your child – I saw myself how much you cherished her. But why must you continue to long for Lestat, knowing the harm that he did and all the knowledge that he kept from you, that as your maker he should have revealed?” Armand began to pace, his body tense, his gaze ever more sorrowful as he continued. “He told me lies, so many lies. And I believe that he lied to you as well. Is it not time to forget him now? He caused us both so much sadness…” Armand’s voice trailed off, and he looked so young and vulnerable, despite his true ancient age. Louis could not help but ache for him and crave to make him see that his jealousy of Lestat was unfounded.

Louis ceased intertwining his hands and reached to clasp Armand’s. “I love you as deeply as I loved Claudia – perhaps more. Whatever you know, whatever power you possess, you have always openly and lovingly shared with me in a way that Lestat never would. And I will not leave you, for Lestat or anyone else. I told you, I will not seek him out again. He has most likely made or found himself a dozen more companions since we last saw him. That is his nature, to seek novelty and then to discard those who no longer amuse him. It is not in my nature – and never was! Not when I was human, and not now.”

Pulling Armand into his arms once again, Louis spoke no more but let his touch convey the depth of his loyalty and concern. Armand stiffened at first, but then relaxed in Louis’s gentle embrace, as if willing his body to accept the feelings behind the words Louis had spoken whilst he struggled to bring the same tranquillity to his mind.

Claudia had once called Lestat “the father of lies” and perhaps he had been. Forgetting Lestat and his impact on their lives may not have been possible, but the precious trust that Louis and Armand were slowly and surely building between them would help to lessen the hurt that he had caused.


End file.
